Sportsmen for Tomorrow – A Successful Initiative

I would venture to guess that most of us were introduced to the outdoors and sporting heritage by someone older. While our younger generation may be intrigued by stories from our times afield, they must experience time outdoors themselves. The experiences we had in the outdoors as youths and young adults helped shape our views on conservation. Our greatest long-term challenge may not be whether we have enough ducks, but rather if we have enough people that care about ducks and the wetlands so critical to their existence.

In order for a farmer to harvest a bountiful crop, he must first plant a seed. Over the past six years, the Sportsmen for Tomorrow program has planted those seeds in our youth, shaping these young men and women into the conservationists of tomorrow. Through the expansion of DU’s Varsity program, the nation ’s first Varsity Leadership Camp, partnerships with the FFA and 4-H, and our increased youth membership North Carolina Ducks Unlimited has worked diligently to plant the seeds of conservation in today’s youth.

Sportsmen for Tomorrow’s goals were lofty, but the dedication of NCDU’s volunteers and the generosity of our supporters resulted in the goals being increased prior to the end of the campaign. The increased goals were once again no match for NCDU’s volunteers and supporters, and we were able to exceed the goals for a second time during the campaign.

2014 Goal

Revised Goals 2017

Final Results

Philanthropic Giving

$9,000,000

$13,000,000

$15,743,088

Public Revenue

$4,000,000

$11,000,000

$12,158,978

Acres

33,000

60,000

60,215

The effect of Sportsmen for Tomorrow on youth engagement is not only being felt in North Carolina but was instrumental in the growth of Ducks Unlimited’s national youth programs with memberships of youth and young adults steadily increasing. A portion of the funds from Sportsmen for Tomorrow was used to expand Ducks Unlimited’s National Youth and Education program. Thanks to the support of Sportsmen for Tomorrow, Ducks Unlimited was able to make investments to improve our outreach to youth.